Kernel memory corruption via undersized channel survey allocation
Published Feb 27, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Memory corruption in the wcn36xx Wi-Fi driver in affected Linux kernel versions allows adjacent attackers to alter kernel memory. wcn36xx_probe allocates only one byte per channel for an array of wcn36xx_chan_survey structures, so receive-path updates write beyond the allocation and empty-channel survey reads return uninitialized heap data. Exploitation requires an active wcn36xx radio within transmitter range; bounded consequences include kernel-memory disclosure, corruption, and a kernel panic.
Summary
What happened
Memory corruption in the wcn36xx Wi-Fi driver in affected Linux kernel versions allows adjacent attackers to alter kernel memory. wcn36xx_probe allocates only one byte per channel for an array of wcn36xx_chan_survey structures, so receive-path updates write beyond the allocation and empty-channel survey reads return uninitialized heap data. Exploitation requires an active wcn36xx radio within transmitter range; bounded consequences include kernel-memory disclosure, corruption, and a kernel panic.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-57997
- Published
- Feb 27, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-908
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 27, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=29696e0aa413b9d56558731aae3806d7cff48d36 <34cd2817708aec51ef1a6c007e0d6d5342a025d7
- Affected versionversion=29696e0aa413b9d56558731aae3806d7cff48d36 <6200d947f050efdba4090dfefd8a01981363d954
- Affected versionversion=29696e0aa413b9d56558731aae3806d7cff48d36 <64c4dcaeac1dc1030e47883b04a617ca9a4f164e
- Affected versionversion=29696e0aa413b9d56558731aae3806d7cff48d36 <ae68efdff7a7a42ab251cac79d8713de6f0dbaa0
- Affected versionversion=29696e0aa413b9d56558731aae3806d7cff48d36 <e95f9c408ff8311f75eeabc8acf34a66670d8815
- Affected versionversion=5.18
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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